1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an apparatus for storing sports equipment. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a sports equipment rack that is portable, easily assembled and disassembled and is especially well suited for transporting large amounts of softball or baseball equipment to a ball park and conveniently storing and displaying the equipment at the ball park to make it easily and readily available to the players.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 C.F.R. Sections 1.97-1.99
When a softball or baseball team assembles to play a game, a lot of equipment is required, including at least one fielding glove for each player, a number of batting helmets of difference sizes, a large number of bats of various sizes and a number of balls. Most amateur ball parks do not have adequate facilities for temporary and convenient storage of such equipment during games. Further, it is essential that such storage facility be capable of keeping the equipment in an organized and orderly fashion so that the players can quickly find the required piece of equipment. It is also very important that any such storage system can be readily assembled and disassembled or taken down because another team is usually ready to take the field for another game as soon as one game has concluded, and the teams that have just finished a game must leave the field and dugout area as quickly as possible.
Naturally, many different systems of shelves, racks and the like have been developed in the past, including some directed to this or a similar problem. Some of the patents issued in this art are discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,378, issued to Miller on Sep. 26, 1989, discloses a "Mounting Rail for Hospital Appliances and Bracket" comprising a rail for mounting horizontally on a wall. The rail has a longitudinal channel that can be used for retaining mating hooks and a longitudinal groove along the top of the rail, which can be used to retain specially shaped hooks. Heavier items can be held by a mating block having a locking thumb screw that clamps the hook onto the rail. The rail holds a plurality of differently shaped specialty hooks that can be slid along the rail for any desired horizontal spacing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,456, issued to Lee on Aug. 8, 1989, discloses a "Rack Structure for Balls and Related Equipment" comprising a frame for mounting on a solid, flat wall, a plurality of spaced parallel rods, each of which defines a space between an individual rod and the wall upon which the rack is mounted. Balls are stored between one of the rods and the wall. The rack further includes end plates having a plurality of notches for holding baseball bats in a vertical position by retaining the knob at the end of the bats. A plurality of fixed and moveable hooks depend from one or more of the rods. The illustrated hooks are modified S-hooks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,812, issued to Demarest, Jr. on Apr. 11, 1989, discloses a "Self-Contained Portable Hanging Clothes Dryer" comprising a telescoping rod in the form of a shower curtain rod from which a plurality of folding clothes hangers is suspended.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,276, issued to Gochanour on Nov. 15, 1988, discloses a "Hanger" for hanging garments such as pants and skirts. Of greatest interest is the shape of the spacer elements, which maintain a space between adjacent garments and have a curved paddle-like shape.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,065, issued to Braaten on Dec. 16, 1986, discloses a "Baseball Equipment Holder" comprising an elongated large diameter tubular housing having a diameter sufficient to accommodate baseballs, which are inserted through large cut out portions in the side wall of the tube. Hangers extend downwardly from the housing for holding baseball equipment, such as gloves. Notches in the tubular members are adapted to hold bats vertically by the knobs on the ends of the bat handles. A plurality of hooks may be used to attach the equipment holder to a fence.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,093, issued to Livingston on Nov. 15, 1983, discloses a "Garment Hanger Spacing Apparatus" comprising a plurality of circularly shaped spaced collars having hanger receiving elements comprising an aperture in the bottom of the hanger receiving element or portion of the collars. The collars can slide along the rod or bar they are mounted on.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,495, issued to Keeley on Mar. 18, 1980, discloses a "Portable Sports Equipment Organizer" comprising a rigid board having a plurality of specialized shaped hangers for storing bats, balls, and helmets. The board can be designed to be folded in two for transport and may be used to carry equipment to the ball park, as well as to store it while at the ball park. The board can be attached to a chain-link fence or backstop by hooks that are mounted on the board. A plurality of U-shaped clamps hold the bats and a plurality of L-shaped clamps hold the helmets. This device is heavy, awkward and unwieldy.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,633, issued to Magnuson on Nov. 19, 1968, discloses a "Checking Apparatus for Garment Racks and the Like" comprising a plurality of spaced apart hook elements, each hook comprising a bar or sheet metal element having a straight portion that is fastened to a vertical mounting surface and a curved bent portion designed to receive a garment, hat, or the like. The hooks are relatively wide and thick.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,618,419, issued to Vanish on Nov. 18, 1952, discloses a "Hammer Holster" comprising a flexible circular loop of coiled wire attached to a vertical leg portion of a clip that fastens the Hammer Holster to the user's belt.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,077,513, issued to Eagleson on Nov. 4, 1913, discloses a "Tobacco Supporting Lath" comprising a rod having a plurality of sharp hooks suspended from it. The hooks comprise members that depend vertically from the rod and include a sharp barb aligned horizontally.
U.S. Pat. No. 699,971, issued to Poschmann on May 13, 1920, discloses a "Curtain Pole" comprising an elongated rod having ornamental balls on each end and a slot along the length of the pole for receiving a plurality or specially adapted hooks that slide along the slot. The hooks are secured inside the pole by a small ball that is too large to slip through the slot, except at the key way at one end of the slot.
The use of a rod, pole or the like to suspend a variety of hooks has naturally been used before, as disclosed in the references (Miller '378; Demarest, Jr. '812; Gochanour '276; Braaten '065; Livingston '093; Eagleson '513; and Poschmann '971) and specialized hooks of one sort or another have been developed for many purposes, as illustrated many of the references discussed above.
Not shown in the references discussed herein, however, is a portable modular sports equipment rack specially adapted for easy set up and break down into a convenient package if desired, and for securely storing and transporting softball or baseball equipment to, from, and at a ball park. Therefore, a need exists for a portable modular sports equipment rack that is easy to assemble and disassemble, that can readily accommodate a large number of pieces of equipment (for example, enough equipment for an entire team), that facilitates storage of equipment at a ball park and while traveling to and from the ball park if desired, and at remote permanent storage sites, if desired, and that is so convenient to use during a game that it advances the game and the task of leaving the field after a game.